Rachel K Wentz

The Body Blog Rachel K Wentz

WINNER OF THE FLORIDA AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION SILVER MEDAL PRESIDENT'S AWARD IN ADULT NONFICTION.

Natural selection has been honing the human form for millions of years. During that time, our brains have enlarged, our mouths have gotten smaller, our guts have been streamlined, and we've inhabited every ecological niche on the globe. But how we live impacts our bodies in vast and often astounding ways. It all comes down to culture.

This book explores the numerous ways our bodies are affected by culture. Why do we mutilate our teeth, tattoo our skin, bind our feet, or deform our heads? How do some of our most intriguing cultural inventions - cooking our food, transplanting organs, transfusing blood, or treating infectious disease - impact our survival?

What about some of the darker aspects of culture? Why do we bury our dead? When did cremation first take root? How did embalming evolve? What compels the act of cannibalism, necrophilia, or grave robbing? These questions provide insight into our species, for how we treat the dead speaks volumes about how we view the living.

The Body Blog celebrates the fascinating and complex processes that keep us alive and the impact of culture on our remarkable bodies.